The Bethel Public School System
offers excellent opportunities for both new and experienced
teachers. It is a system that fosters growth in its professionals and
empowers them to challenge themselves and to take risks in the
classroom. Bethel hosts a young, energetic staff committed to
providing students with a rigorous and comprehensive education.

The Bethel Community
The small New England town of Bethel named by the Hartford Courant as
“The Quintessential Connecticut Town” is located in the
Housatonic Valley of northern Fairfield County. Bethel lies
sixty miles northeast of New York City and fifty miles southwest of
Hartford. Its neighboring towns are Redding, Danbury, Brookfield,
and Newtown. Bethel is a town of more than 18,000 people spread
over 17 square miles. The educational campus is located only a mile
from downtown Bethel, which is popular for its quaint shops,
restaurants, and movie-theater. Bethel merchants continuously
provide support for our schools.

Campus and Facilities
Bethel has a truly unique professional campus setting in that all five
of our schools are located on a beautiful 140-acre park that is
the focal point for many town activities. Athletic fields, tennis and
bocce courts, playgrounds, a skate park, and walking trails
attract the community to the park. Beautiful athletic fields allow
fans to support the BHS Wildcats and the BMS Tigers. The
proximity of the schools allows staff and parents to conveniently move
from one facility to another. In the past several years, the
Town of Bethel has invested in upgrading the facilities. Major
renovations have recently been completed at both Berry School (PreK-3)
and Bethel High School. The school campus is both quiet and safe
with the Bethel Police Department located only a quarter mile
away. A school resource officer and a DARE officer are permanently
assigned to the schools.

Professional Community
Bethel teachers work in a professional, supportive atmosphere that is
marked by collegiality. As part of a professional learning
community in their discipline or grade level, they share student
work, discuss curriculum, and collect and analyze data. In addition,
teachers have the opportunity to participate in vertical teams.
The Bethel School System sets aside five days each year for
professional development. While there is a system wide committee that
plans the programs, teachers in each building have a voice in
suggesting topics or identifying areas of need. Bethel has
recently adopted a teacher observation / evaluation process that is
based on Charlotte Danielson’s Enhancing Professional Practice: A
Framework for Teaching. In this model teachers are empowered
to identify areas of focus for observations and to discuss their
lessons in both pre and post conferences. Throughout the system
there are leadership opportunities available for those teachers
who wish to pursue them.

Teacher Support Programs
In the Bethel schools there is a collegial atmosphere where colleagues
work together. Beginning teachers are provided with a mentor who
answers questions, provides feedback in decision- making, and
offers continuous support. They also participate in a three day
induction program to familiarize them with district programming
and practices. In addition, building administrators meet
regularly with new teachers to support teaching and learning. Support
is also provided to teachers new to Bethel, but not new to the
profession. Our teacher evaluation plan is strong and still
evolving, as teachers and administrators work together to create a
process that promotes student achievement and guides professional
growth.

Compensation
Our starting salaries are competitive in our area and District
Reference Group (DRG) within the state of Connecticut. There are
financial increases for those who move from one degree status to
another on the salary schedule. Additionally, the Bethel Public Schools
have a partnership with Western Connecticut State University that
allows teachers to receive a discount for any university course
taken. This saves our teachers money as they work toward advanced
degrees. The Board of Education also offers subsidies to
teachers who wish to pursue National Teacher Certification.
Benefits are comprehensive and provide high quality medical care as well
as life insurance and disability protection. A retirement
package supplements the state system. For negotiation of
contracts, teachers are represented by the Bethel Education Association
(affiliated with the National Education Association.) In
Connecticut the law outlines a binding arbitration process to
settle any labor and management issues.

Technology
Beginning in Kindergarten our students receive technology instruction
on a regular basis and have access to computer labs at every
school. All teachers have a computer in the classroom. Schools
have smartboards, senteos and vernier probes to aid with instruction.
Bethel offers professional development programs to train teachers
in the most current trends in technology. Each school has
teachers who are specially trained as “Tech Champions” to provide
additional assistance. We use Moodle as a communication tool
between staff, students and parents. We also utilize Power
School to maintain student records on a district wide level. Our award
winning television studio offers programs on a wide variety of
school related issues and events. Because technology is
important to the Bethel Public Schools’ mission, we have partnered with
Apple to offer Mac computers at a reduced rate to staff members
for their personal use.

Extra-Curricular Opportunities
We are proud of our BHS Wildcats and BMS Tigers and support our teams
in anyway possible. The middle and high schools field teams in
most sports. Coaching stipends recognize and reward the time and
expertise needed to serve our students. Bethel has a history of
athletic success, and our veteran coaches welcome the chance to
work with new teachers who are interested in coaching. The
secondary level offers stipends for the sponsorship of a wide variety
of performance, activity, and club opportunities for students.
These include: Principal’s Advisory, Student Council, various
National Honor Societies, the band, choir, chamber singers, theatre
organizations, NJROTC, DECA, Renaissance club, UNITED club, Mirage
literary magazine, school newspaper, Mock Trial, Math club,
Japanese club, Chinese club, Friendship club, etc. There is a
wealth of opportunities for new teachers to get involved in extra
curricular activities.

Claims to Fame

Bethel High School -

Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Graduating seniors receive over 2 million dollars per year in scholarships

Bethel Middle School -

Named a Spotlight School by the New England League of Middle Schools

Holds a collaborative Science Fair
with WCSU allowing our young scientists to have their research
critiqued by students and faculty from the university

Bethel Public Schools

Named one of the top 100 communities for music education in the United States

BethelPublic Schools

The Bethel Public Schools do not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law. The Bethel Public Schools provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding the Bethel Public Schools nondiscrimination policies should be directed to: